Nazanin Afshin-Jam
Nazanin Afshin-Jam is an Iranian-Canadian human rights activist, former beauty queen, and diplomat, born in Tehran in 1979. Her family's experiences during the Islamic Revolution, including her father's arrest and torture, profoundly shaped her perspective on freedom and human rights. After fleeing Iran with her family and settling in Canada, Afshin-Jam pursued higher education, majoring in international relations and political science, and later earning a Master’s degree in diplomacy. She gained international recognition after being crowned Miss Canada in 2003 and placing second in the Miss World competition, which she used as a platform to advocate for human rights issues.
Afshin-Jam is notably recognized for her efforts to free Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi, who faced execution for defending herself against sexual assault, and for co-founding the nonprofit organization Stop Child Executions. Her activism has included organizing protests against human rights abuses in Iran and supporting recent protests for women’s rights. Over the years, she has received multiple awards for her work and continues to raise awareness about human rights issues globally. Married with three children, she remains committed to her activism while embracing her personal and family life.
Nazanin Afshin-Jam
Activist and author
- Born: April 11, 1979
- Birthplace: Tehran, Iran
Also known as: Nazanin Afshin-Jam McKay
Significance: Nazanin Afshin-Jam first became well-known when she was crowned Miss Canada in 2003. Since then, she has used her platform to become an activist for freedom in Iran. She is the cofounder and president of Stop Child Executions.
Background
Afshin-Jam was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1979. Her family was apolitical, but her father ran the Sheraton Hotel in Tehran, where many Westerners stayed when they were in the area. Because of this exposure to Western values, he was suspected of wanting to undermine the Islamic Revolution. He was arrested by the Revolutionary Guard, and then taken to prison where he was questioned and tortured. Eventually, he was released. At that point, he fled Iran with his family. They stopped first in Spain before eventually settling in Vancouver, Canada, in 1981.
This history influenced Afshin-Jam from the start. She never forgot where she came from and always remembered that there were people in the world who could not take freedom, or even basic human rights, for granted. Her interests propelled her to double major in international relations and political science at the University of British Columbia. She also spent time studying at an l’Institut d’etudes politiques in Paris. Afterwards, she taught youth through the Red Cross, covering subjects such as the effects of natural disasters, the landmine crisis around the world, and children affected by war. She went on to get a Master of Arts in diplomacy from Norwich University in 2011.
When Afshin-Jam learned that the Miss World competition had a greater purpose than beauty and that it raised money for charities focusing on children, she entered the competition. She was crowned Miss Canada in 2003 and went on to come in second at the Miss World competition in China.
Life’s Work
Afshin-Jam has used her status as a beauty queen to take a stand against human rights abuses in Iran and elsewhere. In 2005, she worked hard to free then seventeen-year-old Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi, who was arrested and set to be hanged for stabbing men who were trying to rape her and her fifteen-year-old niece. Her petition was signed by more than 350,000 people from throughout the world, and she raised more than $43,000 online so that Fatehi could post bail while her lawyers continued to work on her case. Under pressure from nations around the world, Iran granted Fatehi a new trial. In January 2007, Fatehi was deemed not guilty and released, although she still had to pay blood money for causing a death. Because of her work to free Fatehi, Afshin-Jam was awarded a Hero for Human Rights Award from Artists for Human Rights and Youth for Human Rights International.
After that, Afshin-Jam co-founded an organization called Stop Child Executions, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people like Fatehi, both in Iran and throughout the world. Afshin-Jam remained president of the organization as of June 2023.
In September 2008, Afshin-Jam organized a protest across from the United Nations (UN) when Iranian president Ahmadinejad was to speak to the general assembly. This “Wall of Shame” was designed to highlight the human rights violations committed by Ahmadinejad and his regime. Afshin-Jam also pushed Canada to close its embassy in Tehran as a sign of protest in 2012 and in 2016 signed an open letter of apology from Iran to the Baháʼí people. In 2022, she became a powerful voice supporting the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in Iran that occurred after Mahsi Amini was arrested and killed for not wearing her hijab properly.
Afshin-Jam has received numerous awards for her activism. In 2009, she was given the Emerging Leader Peacemaker Award through the YMCA’s Power of Peace. She received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from the University of Western Ontario in 2016. Afshin-Jam has also appeared in a few films and released a musical album, though these have taken a backseat to her activist work. She also has a pilot’s license and can fly both powered aircraft and gliders.
Impact
Afshin-Jam has used her voice to bring human rights issues in Iran and other nations to the forefront of political conversation in Canada. When protests began in Iran in 2022, she challenged both the people and the politicians of Canada to stand with the oppressed, not with the oppressors. She also brought the issue home, explaining how allowing Iran’s current regime to stand meant siding with violent people who are trying to get nuclear weapons. She explained how supporting the government in Iran now might mean a threat to national security later.
Afshin-Jam has shown a generation of women that they can use beauty and poise to stand up for people and ideas that may not otherwise get a voice. She has lent her voice to causes that are close to her heart and important for people throughout the world to understand.
Personal Life
Afshin-Jam married Peter McKay, a Canadian lawyer and politician, at a ceremony in Mexico in 2012. She has three children: Kian was born in 2013, Valentia in 2015, and Caledon in 2018. She was raised Catholic and continues to practice that religion.
Bibliography
Afshin-Jam McKay, Nazanin. “The 2022 Iranian Revolution Has Begun. Will Canada Stand with the People or the Tyrants?” National Post, 12 Oct. 2022, nationalpost.com/opinion/the-2022-iranian-revolution-has-begun-will-canada-stand-with-the-people-or-the-tyrants. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Anderssen, Erin. “There’s More to Nazanin Afshin-Jam Than Her Beauty Queen Past.” The Globe and Mail, 19 May 2012, www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/theres-more-to-nazanin-afshin-jam-than-her-beauty-queen-past/article4186774/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
“Hope for Iran: Nazanin Afshin-Jam in Conversation with Hillel Neuer.” Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, 18 Jan. 2023, genevasummit.org/hope-for-iran-nazanin-afshin-jam-in-conversation-with-hillel-neuer/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
“Nazanin Afshin-Jam.” Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, genevasummit.org/speaker/nazanin-afshin-jam/. Accessed 20 June 2023.
Phillips, Natasha. “Interview: Activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam Launches Online Opposition Network.” Kayhan Life, 24 Jan. 2023, kayhanlife.com/authors/natasha-phillips/activist-nazanin-afshin-jam-launches-online-opposition-network/. Accessed 20 June 2023.